Blake Ellis/The Independent

The Lambton OPP is a seeing a resurgence of impaired driving. 

“We are seeing a lot of impaired drivers,” Lambton OPP Inspector Chris Avery told both Enniskillen Township council and Oil Springs council last week. “We are seeing a lot of high readings.”  This increase is in despite of the education that is available to the public about the dangers of impaired drivers. 

There have been several impaired drivers in Lambton County who had a blood alcohol level in the 300 range, with the legal limit being under 80, said Avery. One night, OPP arrested four people for drunk driving.

While the number of impaired driving charges is alarming, Lambton does not have the highest rates in the province as the OPP told Plympton-Wyoming councillors last month. Officials later clarified the number of impaired driving charges is considered high saying one is too many.

Officials did not quantify how many impaired charges were laid in 2024. 

Avery and Board Chair Greg Nemcek outlined a new fraud prevention program in Lambton which works with local banks to identify primarily seniors taken in by online or phone scams.

Nemcek also outlined the finances with the OPP, a subject which caused a lot of concern last year when municipalities faced nearly 18 per cent increases in policing fees.

A total of $497 million is being collected for the 2025 municipal cost recovery under the OPP billing model across the province. Nemcek said this amounts to approximately $399 per household, compared to $900 per household for those not policed by the OPP, according to the provincial police figures. There are 330 municipalities in the province policed by the OPP. 

The Lambton OPP polices an area which has a population over 52,000. There are 100 uniformed officers within the Lambton OPP, said Nemcek.